Nanotechnology has become increasingly popular as a technique for fabricating various types of devices, such as diodes and switches. One type of element that has been studied for making nanotechnology-based devices is the carbon nanotube, which is a cylindrical carbon structure that exhibits certain desirable electrical properties.
Although carbon nanotubes are recognized as providing electrical characteristics that are efficient for forming diodes or switches, conventional diodes or switches that contain carbon nanotubes do not lend themselves to efficient or reliable manufacturing. Consequently, without devices that can be efficiently and reliably manufactured, cost efficient devices that employ carbon nanotubes are typically not available.